Why shoulder size matters

Monday

Question: Are there differences in the size of shoulders on the inside, and if so, how does it impact what you do as a shoulder surgeon?

Answer: Shoulders can vary greatly in size from one patient to another. While the surgery that I do doesn’t necessarily change, the way I do it has to accommodate the individual patient anatomy.

Answer: The socket, or glenoid, can range from the size of a nickel to larger than an old silver dollar. Similar size ranges can exist on the ball, or humeral, side of the joint. These variations have minimal impact on how I perform arthroscopic surgery because we work with magnification. What’s more, the repair techniques we use for, say, a rotator cuff repair, is similar regardless of patient size.

Where it can get interesting is in shoulder replacement surgery when we try to precisely replicate the patient’s anatomy with the replacement. I was recently asked to visit Seoul, South Korea to teach and perform shoulder replacement surgery and encountered bone-size differences that required extra care in order to get the best result.

With modern implant design, we can successfully address most shoulder problems, regardless of the patient’s size.

Dr. Howard Routman, a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with Fellowship Training in Shoulder Reconstruction, is also an internationally-known educator on disorders of the shoulder. He performed the first reverse shoulder replacement in South Florida in 2003. He is the Director of Palm Beach Shoulder Service at Atlantis Orthopaedics, with offices in Atlantis and Palm Beach Gardens.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Atlantis Orthopaedics

Two South Florida locations: Palm Beach Gardens/Atlantis

( 561) 967-4400

www.AtlantisOrtho.com

Follow on Facebook: facebook.com/DrHowardRoutman

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